Bergeron, Backes to miss opener

Patrice Bergeron will miss the opening game of the season tonight against the Stanley Cup finalist Nashville Predators with a lower-body injury and remains day-to-day. So will David Backes, who was ill with what was originally believed to be a virus, but head coach Bruce Cassidy was unwilling to discuss the matter in any detail following the Bruins’ game-day skate.

Two forward lines remained the same: David Krejci will center David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk, and Riley Nash will center Tim Schaller and Noel Acciari.
The other two: Ryan Spooner will center Brad Marchand and Anders Bjork, and Sean Kuraly will center Matt Beleskey and Frank Vatrano.

Austin Czarnik also remains out.

Defenseman Torey Krug skated on his own – with non-roster defenseman Emil Johansson, who had entered concussion protocol following a bad hit in the rookie tournament at Buffalo, then Krug skated with his teammates while wearing his merlot-colored, non-contact jersey.

Not that hits are thrown on game-day skates anyway, but it’s a broken jaw so the Bruins need to be careful heading into Friday’s examination.

Cassidy has not ruled out a Columbus Day return for Krug against the Colorado Avalanche.

Cassidy plans to use Nash in Bergeron’s bumper position on the first-unit powerplay, and DeBrusk in Backes’ spot on the second unit.

“I think Bergy might be the best guy in the NHL at (the bumper position),” said Nash. “It’ll be a high standard to live up to, but just hopefully I’ll find a little chemistry with those guys. I’ve never been on the ice with them in a game situation before so we’ll try to find some chemistry early, and stay out of their way. They have a pretty good powerplay for a reason.”

The bumper position, as Bergeron plays it, is not unlike how Phil Esposito, the greatest slot scorer in NHL history, shattered records as a Bruin in 1971.
Espo could snap home a game winner with two defenders draped on his back. Defense nowadays is more about quick sticks, shot blocking and goalies looking like walls. And the play moves fast.

Do I go for the one-timer? Do I give it back? Do I let it go through to a backdoor play?

“There’s a lot of feel in there,” said Nash. “You’ve got to kind of know where all the penalty killers are, which side there on with you. You’re not really looking for a ton of space. You can tell when Bergy gets a lot of those shots away there’s a guy one hand, but his stick is in the wrong spot.

“You’re not really looking for a ton of room, but just an opening where you can get a good shot off and catch the other team off guard, and make them be responsible for you and hopefully open up other plays, too.”
Nash played everywhere but the bumper on Carolina’s powerplay.

“I played a little halfwall, just kind of all over the place,” he said. “I played the point for a little while, wherever they needed me. One-time spot, or kind of where Pasta is, actually on top of the umbrella, too.”

One thing Nash doesn’t mind divulging is he likes to be around the net.

“I like seeing the whole play, but I’m comfortable being down by the net, getting my stick on things and just trying to create second and third opportunities,” he said.

On the penalty kill, expect Nash to replace Bergeron with Marchand and for Schaller to replace Nash with Acciari, as Schaller has played center for much of his career and can take faceoffs.

* * *

McAvoy has pulled on a lot of different jerseys over the past 10 months and played under a lot of banners. He enjoyed his experiences including Boston University, Team USA, the Providence Bruins of the AHL, and joining the parent club for the playoffs.

Now he’s settling in knowing this is his team for the forseeable future.
“Yeah … it feels like I can stay put for a little bit,” he said. “I think last year was kind of a crazy outlier for my entire career, as far as, like, the way that everything happened so quick. You’re forgetting what jersey you’re putting on every night, but it was all unbelievable experience.

“I was continuing to climb the hockey ladder, and I wouldn’t have traded it in for anything, going from college to Providence (AHL) to the Bruins to the World Championships. All things that I’ve grown up dreaming of, and I’ve gotten to make them all become reality so, I mean, it was awesome. But … now we’ll stay put for a little bit and know that I’m going to be with the Bruins here. I can’t wait to start here, and play some good hockey.”

Cassidy expects to get Anton Khudobin into more than one game this month.

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Mick Colageo

Mick Colageo grew up in East Walpole, Mass., skating on Coburn's Pond and at 4 Seasons Arena. He has been writing about hockey since 1986 and covering the Bruins since 1991, is a voting member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, and ... Read Full